Overview

Skill can divert clumsy raw power, and precisely applied force can solve many problems. As a Stalker, this is the core of your specialty. You do your best work when attacking from ambush, and can even hide in plain sight to escape foes. Deadly attacks and good defenses make you a dangerous combatant and assassin, but you can be overwhelmed if you're not careful.

The Stalker's power sets are:

Primary: MeleeSecondary: Defense

Stalker Stats

Survivability

7

Melee Damage

10

Ranged Damage

2

Crowd Control

4

Support

2

Pets

2

Power Sets

Primary Power Sets

A Stalker's primary power sets are designed for stealth and melee. They are:

Patron Power Pools

Inherent Power

Stalker Inherents

Criticals

Stalkers cause a great deal of additional damage through critical hits. The exact chances of a critical vary greatly with the situation and the power used. Stalker criticals do double damage except in one case which we'll get to in a moment.

Most Stalker single-target attacks automatically critical against any target if the Stalker is Hidden. If the Stalker isn't Hidden and he's attacking a PvE enemy, his chance of critting is 10% + 3% per teammate within 30'. In PvP, most un-Hidden Stalker single-target attacks can only crit if the target is Held or Slept, and do so 20% of the time, but a few get criticals 10%-15% of the time regardless of whether the target is mezzed.

Stalker AoE attacks work similarly, though the crit chances for Hidden AoEs and for un-Hidden PvP AoEs are half the typical single-target chances. Un-Hidden PvE AoEs use the full 10% + 3%/teammate formula without halving. Crits are checked separately for each target hit.

Assassin's Strike

A Stalker's Assassin's Strike stands out from his other attacks. If the Stalker is Hidden, this attack becomes extremely potent. First of all, if it misses, the Stalker stays Hidden. If it hits, it crits automatically, for almost triple normal damage instead of double. If the target is another player, this bonus damage ignores his resistances. Whether the target survives or is defeated, all nearby non-player enemies (which may include the target itself!) are Demoralized and suffer a small but irresistable ToHit penalty, and occasionally Fear as well, for eight seconds. If the Stalker isn't Hidden, Assassin's Strike removes the wind-up animation allowing it to attack faster, deals Superior damage, and will not deal critical damage in PvE or PvP, unless Assassin's Focus is in effect.

Assassin's Focus

Assassin's Focus has a chance to be generated from any attack from the Stalker's primary power set except for Assassin's Strike. One stack of Assassin's Focus lasts for 10 seconds, and gives Assassin's Strike 33.3% chance to do normal critical damage. Up to three stacks of Assassin's Focus can be held at any time, allowing Assassin's Strike a 99.9% chance to do critical damage out of Hide. This, combined with Assassin's Strike out of Hide, allows the Stalker to mix his style of play at any time, be it to defeat enemies from out of sight, or to stand their ground and take down the enemy using extreme damaging attacks.

Hiding

Despite the rather misleading name, the Hidden status only means that the Stalker is poised to deliver stronger or more reliable critical hits. Hidden mode and Stealth aren't directly linked, although they often occur together. A Stalker can be Hidden even if an enemy has enough Perception to see him.

Stalkers have two ways to become Hidden. The Hide power continually grants Hidden status, though that status suppresses for eight seconds each time the Stalker uses an attack power (except for missed Assassin's Strikes), suffers damage from an enemy (falling doesn't count), or clicks a mission object. Using the Placate power on any target also puts the Stalker in Hidden mode, no matter who he attacks, for a fixed period of ten seconds.

Placate

Placate is as it sounds - an enemy who is placated cannot attack the Stalker which placated it for a set period of time (and loses interest in the Stalker as well) unless the Stalker decides to follow up with attacks which will immediately break Placate. It can be used to escape from foes who prove a challenge, allowing the Stalker to regroup or flee, or to take advantage of the fact that Placate will place the Stalker in Hide, allowing him to immediately follow up with a triple-damage Assassin's Strike or other attacks for double-damage if it is not available.

Historical

This section contains information about changes that took place in City of Heroes Freedom. It is provided for historical purposes.

Stalkers were added to the game in Issue 6, originally a City of Villains archetype. Their original primary powersets were Claws, Energy Melee, Martial Arts, Ninja Blade, and Spines. Their original secondary powersets were Energy Aura, Ninjitsu, Regeneration, and Super Reflexes.

Leviathan Mastery, Mace Mastery, Mu Mastery, and Soul Mastery were added to the game in Issue 7.